Marvel's Director of Visual Development Andy Park has posted early concept art from Thor: The Dark World of Malekith, and he's way creepier. The Dark World was Thor's second solo outing after Kenneth Branagh's first film introduced Chris Hemsworth in the role and The Avengers further developed his character. Unfortunately, the sequel, helmed by Game of Thrones director Alan Taylor doubled down on the serious mythology of the character without adding any real sense of peril to proceedings. As a result, the movie has long been considered the least entertaining Marvel Cinematic Universe entry, and its low box office was a reflection of that.

The movie introduced Malekith to the MCU, a menacing Dark Elf who was the main villain, searching for the Aether. Former Dr. Who star Christopher Eccleston played Malekith. Despite a valiant effort from the actor, the character as written was fairly uninteresting, and at no point presented a genuine threat to Hemsworth's God of Thunder. Additionally, the emotional heart of the movie's final act, the death of Loki at the hands of Malekith, was revealed to merely be a trick at the film's conclusion, ripping the heart out of much of The Dark World's central narrative arc.

Related: Thor: The Dark World Originally Had A Much Better Ending

Now, Park has taken to Instagram to reveal some early concept art for Malekith, which would have informed the design of all of the Dark Elves seen in the movie. The design gives the villain a much more menacing and intimidating look, with long hair cascading down his shoulders, and a facial structure reminiscent of the White Walkers in Game of Thrones. Park mentioned the resemblance, adding that the design was conceived years before the show aired. It was ultimately discarded in favor of what's seen in the finished film. You can see the art below:

It's unclear exactly why the initial design was dispensed with, as it does make the character look a lot more intimidating, but unfortunately, it was not to be. Perhaps the similarity to the White Walkers did come into play, as by the time the decision would have been made, the show most likely would have already been on the air. Regardless, the look might have added some more menace to the character, but it probably wouldn't have changed anything for the disappointing film.

As written, Malekith was another disappointing Marvel villain, with the MCU struggling to provide its superheroes with any real nasty villains beyond Loki and Thanos. Some earlier villains, like Red Skull, remain fan favorites, but overall, one of the MCU's major problems is its villains, who sometimes seem to be there to make up the numbers. Thankfully, Taika Waititi came along and saved the franchise from the depths of Thor: The Dark World, reinvigorating the franchise with humor and excitement on Ragnarok and is set to do the same again on the upcoming Love and Thunder.

Next: Thor: How The Bifrost Was Fixed Before Dark World

Source: Andy Park/Instagram